Keep classrooms free of firearms.

After the Covenant School shooting, Tennessee lawmakers seek to increase the presence of guns on campus. This madness must stop! [Democracy for America Advocacy Fund](#) {NAME}, Far too often, we see a complete lack of action following a tragic school shooting. “Thoughts and prayers” has become the mantra of those who would do nothing further. Things were a little different after the Covenant School shooting in Nashville that left 3 children and 3 adults dead. But instead of rational gun reforms such as requiring background checks or banning assault rifles, GOP lawmakers intend to bring more guns into schools by arming teachers and increasing the presence of armed police. [Studies have shown that increasing the presence of deadly weapons in classrooms can lead not to a reduction, but to an escalation, of school violence. Sign the petition now to let lawmakers know: This madness is taking us 180 degrees in the wrong direction.]( [Add Your Name]( Pro-gun “solutions” such as arming teachers and adding armed police show no evidence of reducing the likelihood of school shootings or disarming more shooters. In fact, a number of studies indicate that gun violence may increase on campuses that rely more heavily on armed guards for protection. A 2021 study examining nearly 40 years of school shootings found that the rate of deaths was 2.83 times greater in schools with armed guards present. Additional studies show that armed guards lead to disproportionately more arrests and expulsions of Black students, other students of color, and disabled students. Expanding the phalanx of armed guards to include vigilante teachers in the mix will only exacerbate the problem. Teachers don’t become teachers in order to aim and use a handgun in a moment of crisis. Teachers need to be trained in de-escalating conflict, not in how to use deadly force. Teachers are not intensively trained on an ongoing basis in how to make split-second decisions that challenge even seasoned law enforcement officers. In many cases, a school shooter may be a student himself. How could a teacher choose to use a gun against the same child they had just been teaching math to? Teachers are trained to inspire students to learn, not to shoot them. Keeping functional firearms in classrooms on a routine basis vastly increases the chance they will be used in unintended ways. Even if stored properly and handled expertly, these weapons could still fall into the hands of an active shooter. An armed teacher could be shot and killed, leaving their weapon in the shooter’s hands. An armed teacher could unintentionally shoot and kill an innocent child. Just the presence of a gun in the classroom sets an expectation of violence that would cause any child to become anxious. Yet Republican-led state legislatures continue to pursue these reckless, risk-filled policies. Armed police in schools have dramatically increased in recent years, as shown in a 2020 Florida study that found nearly twice as many police in schools following the Parkland tragedy. A law recently passed in Ohio requires only 24 hours of training for a teacher to be certified to carry a loaded gun on campus. [This insanity must stop. Sign the petition now to indicate to lawmakers your support for meaningful gun reform legislation to prevent access to firearms by unstable or violent persons and to reduce the availability of the deadliest weapons on school campuses.]( Thank you for doing your part to help demilitarize our schools and reduce the presence of firearms in American classrooms. - Amanda Amanda Ford, Director Democracy for America Advocacy Fund [Power This Campaign]( Democracy for America Advocacy Fund is a 501c4 organization. Contributions to the Democracy for America Advocacy Fund are not tax deductible for federal income tax purposes. Our mailing address is: PO Box 8521, Essex Junction VT 05451  Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Democracy for America Advocacy Fund, please [click here](.